Editing Gordon Lightfoot (section)

==Career==
===Beginnings===
To support himself while in California, Lightfoot sang on demonstration records and wrote, arranged, and produced commercial [[jingle]]s. Among his influences was the folk music of [[Pete Seeger]], [[Bob Gibson (musician)|Bob Gibson]], [[Ian & Sylvia|Ian & Sylvia Tyson]], and [[The Weavers]].<ref>{{cite book | chapter = Gordon Lightfoot| title=Wilson Biographies| publisher= H.W. Wilson Co.| year= 1978}}</ref> Homesick for Toronto, he returned there in 1960<ref>{{cite web |title= Gordon Lightfoot article: "Portrait of a Painter" |url= http://www.larrywayneclark.com/lightfoot.html |website= Larrywayneclark.com |access-date=March 26, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100702050944/http://www.larrywayneclark.com/lightfoot.html |archive-date=July 2, 2010 |url-status= dead}}</ref> and lived in Canada thereafter, though some of his recording, and much of his touring, would be done in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title= Gordon Lightfoot article: "If you could read his mind" |url= http://www.connectsavannah.com/news/article/101861/ |website= Connectsavannah.com |access-date=March 26, 2010}}</ref>

After his return to Canada, Lightfoot performed with the Singin' Swingin' Eight, a group featured on the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]'s ''[[Country Hoedown]]'' TV series, and with the Gino Silvi Singers. He soon became known at Toronto folk-oriented coffee houses.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nicholasjennings.com/before-the-gold-rush|title=Before the Gold Rush - Flashbacks to the Dawn of the Canadian Sound| website= Nicholasjennings.com|date=August 16, 2009 |access-date=September 26, 2021}}</ref><ref>McPherson, David. "Bernie Finkelstein's Golden Mountain". Words and Music. Fall 2012</ref> In 1961, Lightfoot released two singles, both recorded at RCA in Nashville and produced by Louis Innis and Art Snider,<ref name="songnote">Chateau Records label C-1108</ref> that were local hits in Toronto and received some airplay elsewhere in Canada and the northeastern United States. {{nowrap|"(Remember}} Me) I'm the One" reached No.&nbsp;3 on [[CHUM (AM)|CHUM]] radio in Toronto in July 1962 and was a top 20 hit on Montreal's [[CKGM]], then a very influential Canadian Top 40 station.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.las-solanas.com/arsa/surveys_item.php?svid=2043 |title= CKGM (AM) |website= Las-solanas.com |access-date= March 26, 2010 |archive-date= December 7, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081207064529/http://www.las-solanas.com/arsa/surveys_item.php?svid=2043 |url-status= dead }}</ref> The follow-up single was "Negotiations"/"It's Too Late, He Wins"; it reached No.&nbsp;27 on CHUM in December. He sang with Terry Whelan in a duo called the Two-Tones/Two-Timers. They recorded a live album, released in 1962, ''Two-Tones at the Village Corner'' (1962, Chateau CLP-1012).<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.lightfoot.ca/tonelist.htm |title= Gordon Lightfoot Albums |work= lightfoot.ca |year= 2004 |access-date= November 10, 2011 |archive-date= August 6, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110806024711/http://www.lightfoot.ca/tonelist.htm |url-status= dead }}</ref>

In 1963, Lightfoot travelled in Europe and for one year in the UK he hosted the BBC's ''Country and Western Show'' TV series<ref name="BBC">{{cite web |last= Rutherford |first= Nichola |url= https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-65455240 |title= Singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot dies aged 84 |publisher= [[BBC]] |date= May 2, 2023 |access-date= May 3, 2023}}</ref> before returning to Canada in 1964. He appeared at the [[Mariposa Folk Festival]] and started to develop his reputation as a songwriter. [[Ian and Sylvia|Ian and Sylvia Tyson]] recorded "Early Mornin' Rain" and "For Lovin' Me"; a year later both songs were recorded by [[Peter, Paul and Mary]]; other performers covering one or both of these songs included [[Elvis Presley]], [[Bob Dylan]], [[Chad & Jeremy]], [[George Hamilton IV]], [[the Clancy Brothers]], and the [[Johnny Mann|Johnny Mann Singers]]. Established recording artists such as [[Marty Robbins]] ("[[Ribbon of Darkness]]"),<ref name="Rio2009">{{cite book |author=Diamond Rio |title=Beautiful Mess: The Story of Diamond Rio (NelsonFree) |year=2009 |publisher=Thomas Nelson |isbn=978-1-4185-8588-4 |page=49 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=16bcVApyxe4C&pg=PA49}}</ref> [[Judy Collins]] ("Early Morning Rain"), [[Richie Havens]] and [[Spyder Turner]] ("I Can't Make It Anymore"), and [[the Kingston Trio]] ("Early Morning Rain") all achieved chart success with Lightfoot's material.

===1960s===
[[File:Gordon Lightfoot at Apex Records luncheon.jpg|thumb|Lightfoot, right, at a music industry function in Toronto in 1965]]
In 1965, Lightfoot signed a management contract with [[Albert Grossman]],<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Andy |date=May 2, 2023 |title=Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian Folk Rock Troubadour, Dead at 84 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/gordon-lightfoot-dead-obituary-1234716529/ |url-access=limited |access-date=May 2, 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref> who also represented many prominent American folk performers, and signed a recording contract with [[United Artists Records|United Artists]] who released his version of "[[I'm Not Sayin']]" as a single. Appearances at the [[Newport Folk Festival]], ''[[The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson]]'', and New York's [[The Town Hall (New York City)|Town Hall]] increased his following and bolstered his reputation. 1966 marked the release of his debut album ''[[Lightfoot!]]'', which was made in New York, and brought him greater exposure as both a singer and a songwriter. The album featured many now-famous songs, including "For Lovin' Me", "Early Mornin' Rain", "Steel Rail Blues", and "Ribbon of Darkness". On the strength of the ''Lightfoot!'' album, blending Canadian and universal themes, Lightfoot became one of the first Canadian singers to achieve definitive home-grown stardom without having to move permanently to the United States to develop it. Lightfoot also recorded in [[Nashville]] at [[Bradley's Barn|Forest Hills Music Studio ("Bradley's Barn")]] run by [[Owen Bradley]] and his son [[Jerry Bradley (music executive)|Jerry]] during the 1960s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/hall-of-fame/jerry-bradley |access-date=May 2, 2023 |title=Jerry Bradley |website=Country Music Hall of Fame |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816221321/https://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/hall-of-fame/jerry-bradley |archive-date=August 16, 2022}}</ref>

To kick off Canada's [[Canadian Centennial|Centennial]] year, the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] commissioned Lightfoot to write the "[[Canadian Railroad Trilogy]]" for a special broadcast on January 1, 1967.  Between 1966 and 1969, Lightfoot recorded four additional albums at United Artists: ''[[The Way I Feel (Gordon Lightfoot album)|The Way I Feel]]'' (1967), ''[[Did She Mention My Name?]]'' (1968), ''[[Back Here on Earth]]'' (1968), and the live ''[[Sunday Concert]]'' (1969), and consistently placed singles in the Canadian top 40, including "Go-Go Round", "Spin, Spin", and "The Way I Feel". His biggest hit of the era was a cover of Bob Dylan's "[[Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues]]", which peaked at No.&nbsp;3 on the Canadian charts in December 1965. ''[[Did She Mention My Name?]]'' featured "Black Day in July" about the 1967 Detroit riot. Weeks later, upon the [[assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.]] on April 4, radio stations in thirty states pulled the song for "fanning the flames", even though the song was a plea for racial harmony.  Lightfoot stated at the time radio station owners cared more about playing songs "that make people happy" and not those "that make people think."  

Unhappy at a lack of support from United Artists, he defected to [[Warner Bros. Records]], scoring his first major international hit early in 1971 with "If You Could Read My Mind".  His albums prior to this were well received abroad but did not produce hit singles outside Canada.  Until 1971, he was better known in the US as a songwriter than a performer, but was to find commercial success there before being fully appreciated in his home country.<ref name="Edwardson2009">{{cite book |last1=Edwardson |first1=Ryan |title=Canuck Rock: A History of Canadian Popular Music |date=2009 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-0-8020-9989-1 |page=165 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cwc4o2qntH4C&pg=PA165}}</ref><ref name="Marsh1999">{{cite book |editor1-last=Marsh |editor1-first=James H. |title=The Canadian Encyclopedia |year=1999 |publisher=The Canadian Encyclopedia |isbn=978-0-7710-2099-5 |pages=1865–1866 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wR_-aSFyvuYC&pg=PA1865}}</ref>

His success as a live performer continued to grow throughout the late 1960s. He embarked on his first Canadian national tour in 1967 and went on to tour Europe in addition to his North American dates through the mid-70s.  He was also well-received on two tours of Australia.

===1970s===
"[[If You Could Read My Mind]]" sold over a million copies and was awarded a [[music recording sales certification|gold disc]].<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book
| first= Joseph
| last= Murrells
| year= 1978
| title= The Book of Golden Discs
| edition= 2nd
| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd
| location= London
| page= 282
| isbn= 0-214-20512-6
| url-access= registration
| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/282
}}</ref> It had originally appeared on the 1970 album ''[[Sit Down Young Stranger]].'' After the song's success, the album was reissued under the new title ''If You Could Read My Mind''.  It then reached No.&nbsp;5 in the US and represented the turning point in Lightfoot's career.<ref name="BBC" /> The album also featured his version of "[[Me and Bobby McGee]]", as well as "The Pony Man" and "Minstrel of the Dawn".

Over the next seven years, he recorded a series of albums that established him as a major singer-songwriter:
* ''[[Summer Side of Life]]'' (1971), with the title track, "Ten Degrees and Getting Colder", "Cotton Jenny", "Talking in Your Sleep", and a re-working of one of his early 60s songs, "Cabaret"
* ''[[Don Quixote (album)|Don Quixote]]'' (1972), with "[[Beautiful (Gordon Lightfoot song)|Beautiful]]", "Looking at the Rain", "Christian Island (Georgian Bay)", and the title track
* ''[[Old Dan's Records]]'' (1972), his first frontline album to be recorded in Toronto, with the title track, "That Same Old Obsession", "You Are What I Am", "It's Worth Believin'" and "Can't Depend on Love"
* ''[[Sundown (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Sundown]]'' (1974), known for the title track and "Carefree Highway", plus "The Watchman's Gone", "High and Dry", "Circle of Steel", and "Too Late for Prayin'"
* ''[[Cold on the Shoulder (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Cold on the Shoulder]]'' (1975), with the title track, "All the Lovely Ladies", "Fine as Fine Can Be", "Cherokee Bend", and "Rainy Day People"
* The double compilation ''[[Gord's Gold]]'' (1975) containing his major Reprise hits to that point and twelve new versions of his most popular songs from his United Artists era (as UA were continuing to release compilation albums in light of his success at Warner)
* ''[[Summertime Dream]]'' (1976) including "[[The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald]]" and "I'm Not Supposed to Care", "Race Among the Ruins", "Spanish Moss" and "Never Too Close"
* ''[[Endless Wire (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Endless Wire]]'' (1978) with "Daylight Katy", "Dreamland", a new version of "The Circle Is Small", and the title track

During the 1970s, Lightfoot's songs covered a wide range of subjects, including "Don Quixote", referencing Cervantes' famous literary character, "Ode to Big Blue", about the widespread killing of whales, "Carefree Highway", about the freedom of the open road, "Protocol", about the futility of war, and "Alberta Bound", inspired by a lonely teenaged girl he met on a bus while travelling to [[Calgary]] in 1971.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

In 1972, Lightfoot contracted [[Bell's palsy]], a condition that left his face partially paralyzed for a time. The affliction curtailed his touring schedule but Lightfoot nevertheless continued to deliver major hits: in June 1974 his classic single "[[Sundown (Gordon Lightfoot song)|Sundown]]" went to [[Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1974|No.1]] on the American and Canadian charts. It would be his only number one hit in the United States. He performed it twice on NBC's ''[[The Midnight Special (TV series)|The Midnight Special]]''. The follow-up "Carefree Highway" (inspired by [[Arizona State Route 74]] in [[Phoenix, Arizona]]) also charted Top 10 in both countries.<ref>{{cite web |author=William R. Weiss |url=http://www.lightfoot.ca/chron03.htm |title=Gordon Lightfoot Chronology |website=Lightfoot.ca |access-date=April 19, 2014 |archive-date=April 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140420060851/http://www.lightfoot.ca/chron03.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> 

Late in 1975, Lightfoot read a ''[[Newsweek]]'' magazine article<ref>{{cite web |url= http://gordonlightfoot.com/WreckOfTheEdmundFitzgerald.shtml |title=Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot Song Lyrics |work=gordonlightfoot.com |year=2011 |access-date=November 10, 2011}}</ref> reporting on the loss of the {{SS|Edmund Fitzgerald}}, which sank on November 10th, 1975 on [[Lake Superior]] during a severe storm with the loss of all 29 crew members. The lyrics he wrote for "[[The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald|The Wreck of the ''Edmund Fitzgerald'']]", released the following year, were substantially based on facts found in the article and elsewhere. It reached number two on the United States ''[[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]'' chart and hit number one in Canada. Lightfoot appeared at several 25th anniversary memorial services of the sinking and stayed in personal contact with the family members of the men who perished.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ssedmundfitzgerald.org/gordon-lightfoot-song/|title="The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot|publisher=S S Edmund Fitzgerald Online|access-date=January 12, 2018}}</ref>

In 1978, Lightfoot had a top 40 hit in the United States with "The Circle Is Small", which reached the top 5 on the adult contemporary chart.  It was his last major hit.

===1980s and 1990s===
During the 1980s and the 1990s, Lightfoot recorded six more original albums and a compilation for Warner Bros./Reprise: ''[[Dream Street Rose]]'' (1980), ''[[Shadows (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Shadows]]'' (1982), ''[[Salute (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Salute]]'' (1983), ''[[East of Midnight]]'' (1986), another compilation ''[[Gord's Gold Volume II]]'' (1988), ''[[Waiting for You (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Waiting for You]]'' (1993), and ''[[A Painter Passing Through]]'' (1998).

With the title cut a middling hit on the AC chart, ''Dream Street Rose'' continues the folk-pop sound Lightfoot established during the previous decade. It also includes "Ghosts of Cape Horn" and the [[Leroy Van Dyke]] standard "The Auctioneer" that was a concert staple for Lightfoot from the mid-1960s to the 1980s. ''[[Shadows (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Shadows]]'' represents a departure from the acoustic sound of his guitar playing in the 1970s and emphasizes an adult-contemporary sound. The title track, "Heaven Help the Devil", "Thank You for the Promises", "She's Not The Same", and "I'll Do Anything" suggest an underlying sadness and resignation. The 1982 single "Baby Step Back" marked his last time in the US top 50.

After overcoming a long-standing problem with alcohol, he released the mostly electric ''[[Salute (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Salute]]'' in 1983. It yielded no hit songs and unlike his previous efforts, sold poorly.  The 1986 follow-up, ''East of Midnight'', emphasized [[adult contemporary]] songs, and the lead single, "Anything for Love", was a hit on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart and also made the Pop and Country charts.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sSQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Anything+for+Love%22+billboard+country+and+western+chart&pg=PA35|title=Anything for Love; Billboard|date=October 18, 1986|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|language=en}}</ref>

In April 1987, Lightfoot filed a lawsuit against composer [[Michael Masser]], claiming that Masser's melody for the song "The Greatest Love of All", versions of which were recorded and released by [[George Benson]] in 1977 and [[Whitney Houston]] in 1985, had stolen 24 bars from Lightfoot's 1971 hit song "If You Could Read My Mind". The transitional section that begins "I decided long ago never to walk in anyone's shadow" of the Masser song has the same melody as "I never thought I could feel this way and I got to say that I just don't get it; I don't know where we went wrong but the feeling's gone and I just can't get it back" of Lightfoot's song. Lightfoot later stated that he did not want people thinking that he had stolen his melody from Masser.<ref>{{cite web|author=Florian Bodenseher |url=http://www.corfid.com/gl/biography.htm |title=Gordon Lightfoot – Biography |website=Corfid.com |access-date=April 19, 2014}}</ref> The case was settled out of court and Masser issued a public apology.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://storyofsongs.blogspot.com/2009/08/greatest-love.html |title=Greatest Love |date=August 29, 2009 |access-date=May 5, 2019}}</ref> 

He rounded out the decade with the ''[[Gord's Gold Volume II]],'' made up mostly of new versions of songs that were not part of the first Gord's Gold project. Though commercially successful, the contrast between his vocals on the re-recorded tracks and the originals dramatically underscored just how much thinner his voice had become in the years since his radio peak. Lightfoot performed with [[Ian Tyson]] at the opening ceremonies of the [[1988 Winter Olympics]] at [[McMahon Stadium]] in [[Calgary]] that same year.

During the 1990s, Lightfoot returned to his acoustic roots and recorded two albums. ''[[Waiting for You (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Waiting for You]]'' (1993) includes songs such as "Restless", "I'd Rather Press On", and a cover of Bob Dylan's "Ring Them Bells".  1998's ''A Painter Passing Through'' continued in a style more reminiscent of his early recordings,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Chrispell|first=James|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1-pH4i3jXvAC&q=With+the+release+of+A+Painter+Passing+Through%2C+Lightfoot+appears+to+have+found+home+and+has+turned+in+his+best+work+in+years.+Gone+are+the+uncertain+arrangements+of+the+past%3B+in+their+place%2C+there+is+a+welcome+return+to+the+essence+of+the+%22Sundown%22+musical+era.&pg=PA654|title=All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul|publisher=Backbeat Books|year=2002|isbn=9780879306533|editor-last=Bogdanov|editor-first=Vladimir|location=San Francisco, CA|pages=654|chapter=A Painter Passing Through / May 12, 1998 / Reprise|editor-last2=Woodstra|editor-first2=Chris|editor-last3=Erlewine|editor-first3=Stephen Thomas}}</ref> although his voice was not strong and he relied more on outside material (Ian Tyson's "Red Velvet" and a new song written for him, "I Used to Be a Country Singer"). Throughout the decade, Lightfoot played 50-75 concerts each year.<ref>{{cite web |author=William R. Weiss |url=http://www.lightfoot.ca/tourschd.htm |title=Gordon Lightfoot Tour Schedules |website=Lightfoot.ca |access-date=June 14, 2010 |archive-date=June 5, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605103303/http://www.lightfoot.ca/tourschd.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1999 [[Rhino Records]] released ''[[Songbook (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Songbook]]'', a four-CD boxed set of Lightfoot recordings with rare and unreleased tracks from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s plus a small hardback booklet describing how he wrote his songs and gave facts about his career.

===2000s===
In April 2000, Lightfoot taped a live concert in [[Reno, Nevada]]; an edited one-hour version was broadcast by the [[CBC Television|CBC]] in October, and on PBS across the United States. PBS stations offered a videotape of the concert as a pledge gift, and a DVD was released in 2001 in Europe and North America, making it the first Lightfoot concert video released. In April 2001, he closed the Tin Pan South Legends concert at [[Ryman Auditorium]] in Nashville.  In May, he performed "Ring Them Bells" at [[Massey Hall]] in honour of Dylan's 60th birthday.

By January 2002, Lightfoot had written 30 new songs for his next album. He recorded guitar and vocal demos of some of these new songs. In September, before the second concert of a two-night stand in [[Orillia]], Lightfoot suffered severe stomach pain and was airlifted to [[McMaster University Medical Centre]] in [[Hamilton, Ontario]]. He underwent emergency [[vascular surgery]] for a ruptured [[abdominal aortic aneurysm]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/gordon-lightfoot-is-happy-to-be-all-live|title=Gordon Lightfoot is happy to be All Live|date=April 27, 2012|newspaper=National Post|access-date=September 20, 2018|last1=Kaplan|first1=Ben}}</ref> and he remained in serious condition in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Lightfoot endured a six-week coma and a [[tracheotomy]], and underwent four surgeries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1197/is_/ai_n16519941 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210091226/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1197/is_/ai_n16519941 |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 10, 2008 |title=CBSi |website=FindArticles.com |access-date=December 17, 2016 }}</ref> His remaining 2002 concert dates were cancelled. More than three months after being taken to McMaster, Lightfoot was released in December to continue his recovery at home.

In 2003, Lightfoot underwent follow-up surgery to continue the treatment of his abdominal condition. In November he signed a new recording contract with [[Linus Entertainment]] and began rehearsing with his band for the first time since his illness.  Also in 2003, [[Borealis Records]], a label related to Linus Entertainment, released ''Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot''.  On this album, various artists, including The [[Cowboy Junkies]], [[Bruce Cockburn]], [[Jesse Winchester]], [[Maria Muldaur]], and [[The Tragically Hip]] interpreted Lightfoot's songs. The final track on the album, "Lightfoot", was the only song not previously released by Lightfoot. It was composed and performed by [[Aengus Finnan]].

In January 2004, Lightfoot completed work on ''[[Harmony (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Harmony]]'', which he had mostly recorded prior to his illness. It was his 19th original album and included a single and video of "Inspiration Lady". Other notable entries are "Clouds of Loneliness", "Sometimes I Wish", "Flyin' Blind", and "No Mistake About It". The album also contains the upbeat, yet reflective track, "End of All Time". In July 2004, he made a surprise comeback performance, his first since falling ill, at Mariposa in Orillia, performing "I'll Tag Along" solo. In August he performed a five-song solo set in [[Peterborough, Ontario|Peterborough]], Ontario, at a flood relief benefit. In November he made his long-awaited return to the concert stage with two sold-out benefit shows in Hamilton. Lightfoot returned to the music business with his new album selling well and an appearance on ''[[Canadian Idol]]'', where the six top contestants each performed a song of his, culminating in a group performance – on their own instruments – of his ''[[Canadian Railroad Trilogy]]''. He returned to the road in 2005 on his ''Better Late Than Never Tour''.

On September 14, 2006, during a performance in Harris, Michigan, Lightfoot suffered a minor stroke that temporarily left him without the use of the middle and ring fingers on his right hand.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/gordon-lightfoot-dead-1.6828991 |title=Canadian folk music icon Gordon Lightfoot dead at 84 |author=Susan Noakes |date=May 1, 2023 |website=cbc.ca |access-date=May 1, 2023}}</ref> He returned to performing nine days later and briefly used a substitute guitarist for more difficult guitar work.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/lightfoot |title=Music: Stroke doesn't diminish Lightfoots skills as an entertainer |date=September 25, 2006 |website=Onmilwaukee.com |access-date=May 1, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Denis Armstrong |url=http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/L/Lightfoot_Gordon/ConcertReviews/2006/11/12/2326377.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710212859/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/L/Lightfoot_Gordon/ConcertReviews/2006/11/12/2326377.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=July 10, 2012 |title=CANOE – JAM! Music – Artists – Gordon Lightfoot – Concert Review: NAC, Ottawa – November 10, 2006 |website=Jam.canoe.ca |access-date=June 14, 2010 }}</ref> Full recovery took longer, "I fought my way back in seven or eight months".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thespec.com/whatson-story/2197822-gordon-lightfoot-making-the-best-use-of-borrowed-time-/|title=Gordon Lightfoot making the best use of 'borrowed time'|date=April 24, 2012|website=thespec.com|access-date=September 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909112036/https://www.thespec.com/whatson-story/2197822-gordon-lightfoot-making-the-best-use-of-borrowed-time-/|archive-date=September 9, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> By 2007, Lightfoot had full use of his right hand and played all of the guitar parts in concert as he originally wrote them.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gordonlightfoot.com/GordonLightfoot-11-2006.shtml |title=Gordon Lightfoot at Massey, November 2006 |website=Gordonlightfoot.com |access-date=June 14, 2010}}</ref>

===2010s and final work===
In February 2010, Lightfoot was the victim of a [[death hoax]] originating on [[Twitter]], when then-[[CTV News|CTV]] journalist [[David Akin]] posted on Twitter and [[Facebook]] that Lightfoot had died.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/gordon-lightfoot-very-much-alive/article1473102/|title=Gordon Lightfoot very much alive|work=[[The Globe and Mail]]|author=Adams, James|access-date=February 19, 2010|location=Toronto|archive-date=February 19, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100219054317/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/gordon-lightfoot-very-much-alive/article1473102/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Lightfoot was at a dental appointment at the time the rumours spread and found out when listening to the radio on his drive home.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/gossip/2010/02/gordon-lightfoot-this-is-your-death-on-twitter.html|title=Gordon Lightfoot: This is your death on Twitter|work=[[Los Angeles Times]] Ministry of Gossip|author=D'Zurilla, Christie|access-date=February 19, 2010 | date=February 18, 2010}}</ref> Lightfoot dispelled those rumours by phoning [[Charles Adler (broadcaster)|Charles Adler]] of [[CJOB]] live on-air, and made clear that he was alive and well.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cjob.com/News/Local/Story.aspx?ID=1197946|title=Gordon Lightfoot on Charles Adler... "NOT dead"|work=[[CJOB]]'s website|author=Copsey, John|access-date=February 19, 2010}}</ref> 

Lightfoot performed at the [[100th Grey Cup]] at [[Rogers Centre]] in November 2012, performing "[[Canadian Railroad Trilogy]]", and was extremely well received.<ref name="HalftimeReaction">{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/bieber-booed-lightfoot-lauded-during-splashy-grey-cup-halftime-1.1222864 |title=Bieber booed, Lightfoot lauded during splashy Grey Cup halftime |work=CBC News |date=November 25, 2012 |access-date=November 26, 2012}}</ref> Lightfoot made his first tour of the United Kingdom in almost forty years in 2016, playing eleven dates across England, Scotland, and Ireland.<ref name="2016 tour of England, Ireland and Scotland announced abroad">{{cite web|url=http://www.gordonlightfoot.com/#uk2016|title=Gordon Lightfoot: UK and Ireland Tour 2016|work=gordonlightfoot.com |access-date=May 21, 2015}}</ref> In a 2016 interview with ''[[The Canadian Press]]'' Lightfoot said: "At this age, my challenge is doing the best show I can ... I'm very much improved from where I was and the seriousness with which I take it."<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.680news.com/2016/11/08/gordon-lightfoot-on-his-moms-little-trick-that-keeps-his-career-ticking/|title=Gordon Lightfoot on his mom's 'little trick' that keeps his career ticking|last=Friend|first=David|date=November 8, 2016|publisher=[[Canadian Press]]|access-date= December 3, 2017}}</ref>

Lightfoot played at [[Canada's 150th birthday]] celebration on [[Parliament Hill]], July 1, 2017, introduced by Prime Minister [[Justin Trudeau]]. The Prime Minister mentioned that Lightfoot had played the same stage exactly 50 years earlier, for [[Canada's 100th birthday]].<ref name="recording of Lightfoot performing on Parliament Hill, July 1, 2017">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z4YRVRJqO4| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/7Z4YRVRJqO4| archive-date=October 30, 2021|title=Canada Day 150 Night Show - GORDON LIGHTFOOT!!!|work=youtube.com | date=July 2017|access-date=October 27, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Lightfoot's 2019 tour was interrupted when he was injured while working out in a gym.  In March 2020 his concert schedule was delayed by governmental restrictions during the [[COVID-19 pandemic|coronavirus pandemic]].

Lightfoot had said in 2016 that he would not return to songwriting late in life as it was "such an isolating thing" earlier in his career, affecting his family life.<ref name=":0" /> However, in 2020 Lightfoot released his 20th studio album, ''Solo'', unaccompanied by other musicians, 54 years after his debut album.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/gordon-lightfoot-solo-new-album-942415/|title=Gordon Lightfoot Announces First New Album in 16 Years, 'Solo'|first=Daniel|last=Kreps|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=January 24, 2020|access-date=May 2, 2023}}</ref> It was put out by [[Warner Music Canada]], marking Lightfoot's return to Warner. 

Two weeks after his death in 2023, it was announced that his 2016 concert performance at [[Royal Albert Hall]] would be released in July 2023 as the live album ''At Royal Albert Hall''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2023/05/15/live-gordon-lightfoot-album-at-royal-albert-hall-set-for-release-in-july.html |title=Live Gordon Lightfoot album, 'At Royal Albert Hall,' set for release in July |work=[[Toronto Star]] |date=May 15, 2023}}</ref>